New British Standard for PPE – Have your Say

It follows a TUC report on PPE and Women, in which 57% of women who responded felt that PPE ‘sometimes or significantly hampered their work’.

Comments are invited by 28 April 2025 on BS 30417, which provides guidance for the provision of PPE across various industries and sectors. It encompasses the selection, purchasing process, training and maintenance related to inclusive PPE.

This British Standard provides guidance for selecting inclusive PPE, taking into account factors such as user diversity, safety, risk, discomfort, ergonomic designs and compatibility. It provides guidelines for inspecting, maintaining and replacing inclusive PPE to achieve ongoing effectiveness and user safety.

The Standard covers the importance of providing training for PPE users to achieve proper usage, fit and maintenance of inclusive PPE, with a focus on accommodating diversity. It outlines procedures for selecting PPE suppliers, developing specifications and evaluating suppliers based on inclusivity criteria. It focuses solely on guidance for the purchasing and provision of inclusive PPE to promote accessibility and safety in the workplace.

BS 30417 is applicable to organizations and individuals involved in the purchasing, provision and use of inclusive PPE across all working environments. It addresses the needs of all users, promoting equitable access to safety equipment in the workplace.

Former CIOB president Sandi Rhys Jones said she was ‘delighted to be part of the constructive group #PPEthatfits that started this initiative, a collaborative project that includes all sectors needing to ensure everyone is provided with properly fitting protective clothing.’

More info:

https://standardsdevelopment.bsigroup.com/projects/2024-02013#/section